Air conditioner



NOV.- 1.4, 1933. H. D, BETZ I i 1,935,345

v AIR CONDITIONER Filed Sept. 18, 1931 INVENTOR. Q #any '0. ez.

. ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 14, 1933 UNITED STATES AIR CONDITIQNER Harry D. Betz,Kansas City, Mo.

Application September 18, ,1931

Serial No. 563,498 y 8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in air conditioners and moreparticularly to an air cooler and conditioner of the portable typeusing-ice cooled water as the air cooling agent.

My device is particularly adapted for use in homes, oflices, hospitals,hotel rooms and other places where the cost of installing a permanentair cooling and conditioning apparatus would be too expensive for theaverage householder or where the construction of a building is such thata permanent installation would not be desirable, land, since it isdesigned primarily for employing ice as the cooling medium, nocomplicated expensive mechanical refrigerating device is required;therefore, a considerable reduction in the cost of manufacture as wellas mechanical maintenance is achieved.

I am aware that air has been cooled by blowing it over cakes of ice butin such cases the humidity of the air was increased and the air had verylittle if any dust odors or smoke removed therefrom, but by the use ofmy device the air is not only cooled by sprays of cold water, it is alsowashed and dehumidied, by causing the air to pass through a. line sprayof water whose temperature is below the dew point of the incoming air.Obviously, in an air conditioning plant, it is not only necessary tocool the air in summer, but likewise essential to wash and reduce thehumidity of such air.

My device can' also be used to humidify relatively dry air by usingwarm, instead of chilled, water for Washing it, in Ywhich case my aircooler and conditioner not only cleanses the air but also permits theair to absorb moisture from the spray, thus restoring the moisture whichhas been removed from the air by action of the heating apparatus. Thehumidication of air is not only 'desirable as a matter of comfort, butalso from a hygenic standpoint and in the preservation of furniture andother articles to which dry heat isv injurious.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view of my device taken onthe line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

f Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing:

1 indicates a reservoir adapted to receive cakes of ice and water andhaving a top 2, a bottom 3, side walls 4 and end walls 5, all of whichare preferably of double construction and contain in- "sulating material6. To the bottom 3 are preferably aixed wheels or casters 7 which permitthe device to be readily movable.

The top 2 is provided with a closure 8 servring as a charging openingfor the ice and water and is normally covered with a lid or door 9 inwhich a grilled panel 10 is preferably located. While this panel ispreferably hinged to the vtop it may be made entirely removable ifdesired.

The top 2 is further provided with an opening 11 in which a closure 12may be fitted. A tubular member 13 passes vertically through saidopening or closure and has a suitable pump 145` secured to its lower endwhich is attached to a conduit 15. A drive shaft 16 extends through thetubular member 13 and has its upper end 70 secured to a motor 17 Whichis mounted on the upper end of the tubular member and above the top 2 oftlie reservoir 1.

The top 2 is further provided with an opening 18 and preferably adjacentone side and end wall of the reservoir 1. This opening is surrounded byanv-upwardly extending housing 19 preferably having.Y inner and outerwalls insulated apart PbyIa AZsuitable insulating material 19a.

Connected to the pump conduit 15, by` means of a coupling 20, is aconduit 21 which extends upwardly Within the housing 19 and terminatesin a header pipe 22 which carries spray nozzles or spninkler heads 23.

Located above the nozzles 23 are a plurality of corrugated moistureeliminator plates 24 which extend entirely across the inner housing forthe purpose of preventing entrained moisture from passing upward andoutwardly from the conditioner with the current of air.

The upper portion of the housing 19 is preferably provided with a hood25, in which a motor driven fan 26 is located for the purpose ofxdrawingair, which it is desired to condition, from the room, and into thecooler and air conditioner 95 through the grilled panel 10 and upwardthrough the insulated housing 19, past the moisture eliminator plates 24and then discharge it from the hood into the room.

An ornate grille 29 is preferably secured at the 100 front of the hood25 behind which I preferably use deiiectors 30 so arranged as to give anupward pitch to the air as -it leaves the air conditioner, and also forthe purpose of straightening out the air currents, thus eliminating thetur- 105 bulent currents that would otherwise result due to the rotationof the fan.

The pipe 28 is provided with a three way valve 31 which has a valve stem32 projecting through the housing 19 and is provided with a hand 110wheel 33 at the exterior of the housing 19 for manipulating the valve. Anormally closed pipe 34 is attached to one terminal of the valve 31.This pipe is preferably threaded on its outer end (in order to provide aconnection for a hose or conduit.

The purpose of this valve and pipe is to provide a means whereby thepump 14 can pump out a suilicient quantity of Water from the reservoirfor recharging it with ice. A drain 27 is provided in the bottom of thereservoir for complete draining.

'Ihe Water issuing forth from the spray nozzles 23 is directed outwardlyand downwardly at the same time producing a fine mist within thehousing. However, a part of the spray strikes the side walls and thencetrickles down the same. Therefore, in order to eliminate thedisagreeable noise that would result if this water were allowed to dripinto the body of water in the reservoir, I have provided an [inwardlyprojecting trough 35 extending completely around the lower end of theinner wall of the housing 19 for the purpose of catching the Watermoving down such side Walls and deliver it to the body of water in thereservoir through a pipe 36, which terminates at a point below thenormal water level. The inclination of this trough also permitsmolisture which has condensed on the outside of the trough to trickledown while adhering to the under side thereof and reach the pipe 36 andthence run down the outer surface to the water in the reservoir 1,instead of permitting it to drip oi and splash, hence this greatlyassists fin ridding my air conditioner of noises during its operation.

A vertical baffle plate 37 extends longitudinally of the reservoir andis made practically watertight at one end and at the bottom thereof. Theend furtherest from the pump end of the reservoir is spaced from the endwall in order to permit passage of water around its end.

This baille is primarily for the purpose of compelling completecirculation of the Water from the discharge pipe 36 leading from theupper housing 19 around the end of the baille to the pump intake, whichis obviously on the opposite side of the baffle. This water circulationis made to travel practically uniformly over the side surfaces of allsubmerged ice and, therefore, makes possible a greater reduction inWater temperature at the pump than would be possible if it were not forthe baille 37. Further the baiiie is advantageous for the purpose ofguiding the cakes of ice and preventing diagonal positioning resultinginlessening the ice capacity of the reservoir.

Having described my present invention in one form, I do not desire to berestricted to this particular detail arrangement, that is, such asmounting the reservoir on casters and the like, it being understood thatother arrangements of elements could be made Without changing theirfunctional purposes as herein set forth.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A self-contained air conditioner comprising a reservoir having an airinlet opening in its top and adapted to contain a liquid cooling agentand ice for cooling said liquid, an upwardly extending housing carriedby said reservoir, means located within said-housing for spraying thecooling agent downwardly within the housing, means in the housing forcollecting the spray to prevent it from dripping onto the ice in thereservoir, and

means for drawing air upward through said spray and discharging it fromsaid housing.

2. A self-contained air conditioner comprising a reservoir having wheelsupports and adapted to contain a liquid and ice for cooling saidliquid, an air inlet formed in said reservoir arranged to admit air tobe conditioned at a point above the ice, a housing extending upwardlyfrom said reservoir and communicating with the interior thereof, meanslocated within said housing for spraying said cooling agent downwardly,and means located in said housing and above said spraying means fordrawing the air from the reservoir and through said liquid sprays anddischarging the same from the upper part of said housing.

3. A self-contained air conditioner comprising a reservoir adapted tocontain a cooling agent and having an air inlet arranged to admit airover the top of said cooling agent, an air shaft communicating with theinterior of said reservoir and extending upwardly above the reservoir,means for spraying said cooling agent downwardly in said air shaft,means adjacent the bottom of the shaft for catching the main portion ofsaid sprayed cooling agent and delivering it through a 1 restricted pathto a point below the surface of said cooling agent to prevent the sprayfrom dripping onto the surface of said cooling agent, and. means formoving air through said sprayed liquid and discharging the same fromsaid air shaft. 1

d. In a self-contained air conditioner comprising a reservoir designedfor using ice as the cooling medium, a bafile plate in the reservoir, avertical housing supported above the reservoir, an air washer includingspray nozzles and moisture eliminator plates located in the verticalhousing, a pump for delivering liquid resulting from the melted ice tosaid washer nozzles, means located in the bottom of the housing to catchthe spray delivered from said nozzles for return to the res- 1 ervoir toprevent the spray from dripping over the ice, and a fan for circulatingair through the washer. 1

5. An air conditioner comprising a reservoir adapted to contain a liquidand means for chilling the same, an air shaft carried by said reservoir,a conduit located within said air shaft, spray nozzles carried by theupper end of said conduit, means for delivering the liquid to saidconduit and nozzles, a trough adjacent the lower end of 1 said shaft tocatch the liquid from said spray, a pipe communicating with the troughfor delivering the liquid to the reservoir to prevent the spray drippingonto said chilling means, and means for moving air upwardly in said airshaft and discharging the same therefrom above said nozzles.

6. A device of the character described comprising a reservoir adapted tocontain a liquid cooling agent and having an opening at its top for Iinserting ice to cool said liquid agent and for admitting air to thereservoir over the top of said ice, a vertical housing supported by thereservoir adjacent said opening and having its lower end communicatingwith the reservoir, means in the 1 top of the housing for drawing airthrough said i inlet and upwardly in the housing, a series of spraynozzles located in the housing and arranged to direct the cooling agentagainst walls of the housing across the path of the air, means forpumping the cooling agent from the reservoir l to said nozzles, a troughextending around the walls of the housing adjacent its lower *end tocatch the cooling agent, and a conduit connected with said trough forreturning the liquid to the reservoir for preventing the liquid fromdripping onto the ice and the surface of the cooling liquid in thereservoir.

7. An air conditioner comprising a reservoir adapted to contain acooling liquid and means for cooling the liquid, a'n upwardly extendingair shaft on the reservoir, means for circulating the liquid in thereservoir including means for spraying said liquid downwardly in the airshaft, a vertically positioned batie in the reservoir for .directing thecirculating liquid around said cooling means, and a. fan for moving airupwardly through said sprayed liquid and discharging said air from theupper end of the air shaft.

8. An air conditioner including a reservoir adapted to contain a liquidcooling agent and means for cooling said liquid, a vertically positionedbaie substantially dividing said reservoir and having one end spacedfrom an adjacent wall of the reservoir to allow flow of the liquidcooling agent from one side of the bailie to the other, a housingextending upwardly from the reservoir and communicating with theinterior thereof, means for removing liquid from one side of the bailleand spraying it into said housing for'downward flow` into the reservoiron the opposite side of the baiiie, and'means for moving air upwardlythrough said spray and out of the housing.

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